Duty

Kagome held back a sigh as she walked through the forest, her basket of herbs on her hip, her eyebrow twitched as she felt his gaze on her. He thought he was being sneaky, staying out of sight and hiding his aura, yet the silence of the forest due to his presence alone as well as the overbearing feeling of being watched was one she could never mistake.

She had spent years of her life being watched by Naraku as he plotted his schemes. So for him to think that she wouldn't notice him lurking about the past few weeks was almost insulting. Yet she knew he didn't mean anything by it, it still irked her.

Add in the fact that Jaken was trailing right behind her, glancing about as if he expected them to be attacked at any given second...yes, she would admit to being high strung. She had been successful in scaring away Myouga but it would seem Jaken was as stubborn as a mule, though she mused it was mostly out of fear of the one who issued said orders. She knew they meant well, that they were trying to make up for Inuyasha's shortcomings out of some odd warped sense of duty.

It was sweet, but she knew that he was only doing this because it was expected of him. Sango had pulled her aside a few days into the 'stalking' and explained it to her, how packs and the hierarchy went. It was a bit confusing but the gist of it was that as the elder brother and alpha of the remaining of the Inu clan it was his duty to take over and protect and provide for her, the pups she called her own, and the pup growing inside of her.

Absentmindedly her free hand moved to rest on her stomach, she was barely beginning to show yet she was always touching or cradling her stomach. It was no wonder people figured out she was pregnant so easily...the rumors had already begun and she did her best to ignore them in favor of focusing on the life growing inside of her and doing what was best for it, herself, and her other pups.

Which was why she hadn't made a big fuss when Jaken had showed up at her home with the flimsy excuse of being there to look after Rin. The fact that he came bearing the fire rat robe all wrapped up in silks was not at all telling...nor the fact that Myouga had been scared off just days before...resisting the urge to snort at the memory she instead pulled herself from her thoughts and rounded on her heel to face his hidden position.

"I know you're there, Sesshomaru, why not just walk with me? There's no need to hide." She ignored Jaken's squawk of surprise and merely smiled as he appeared next to her as if he had been there the whole time. Turning to the still squawking toad demon she gave him a smile. "Since Sesshomaru is here you can go check on Rin and Shippo. Thank you for keeping me company."

Jaken could only bow his head, a light blush on his face as he nodded and awkwardly left the miko and his lord alone. While originally he had been upset to be put on miko babysitting duty he had done so because his lord had ordered it. As a loyal attendant he did what was requested of him by his lord no matter what it was. Yet as the days turned into weeks he found that it wasn't that bad.

The miko Kagome was kind and welcoming, treating him like any other person. Talking to him, asking his opinions on things and even thanking him! It was a nice feeling, though that wasn't to say his lord wasn't a kind one. He was, but in his own way, and the kindness the miko showed to him was a nice change of pace.

So as he glanced back at the miko and his lord, he could only smile at how easily his lord fell into step with her, his head titled as he listened to her prattle on about her day. Absentmindedly she shifted closer to him, his own taller stature shifting so that their clothes brushed against each other's, their scents mingling and entangling with each other's. It would seem that he wasn't the only one coming to enjoy his new found duty.